REG - Pearson PLC - Final Results
21/02/2020 07:00
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RNS Number : 6790D Pearson PLC 21 February 2020
Pearson 2019 Preliminary Results (Unaudited)
21 February 2020 Underlying revenue flat, adjusted operating profit growth achieved,
simplification programme on track, foundations for growth in place.
Highlights Underlying revenue flat year on year
· Core grew 5% and Growth 4%, offset by 3% decline in North
America.
· Growth of 4% in the businesses excluding US Higher Education
Courseware offset by declines in US Higher Education Courseware of 12%.
Adjusted operating profit up 6%
· Adjusted operating profit of £581m for 2019 (2018: £546m).
· Adjusted earnings per share of 57.8p (2018: 70.3p) reflecting an
effective tax rate charge of 16.5% in 2019 compared to a credit of 5.2% in
2018.
Strong balance sheet
· Closing net debt at 31 December 2019 of £1,016m (2018: £809m on
post-IFRS 16 basis) resulting in net debt to adjusted EBITDA of 1.3x
(post-IFRS 16).
· Operating cash flow decreased by £95m with a conversion rate of
72% largely due to timing of disposals, incentive payments and working capital
movements.
· The Board proposes a final dividend of 13.5p (2018: 13p), an
increase of 4%, which equates to a full year dividend of 19.5p (2018: 18.5p).
Statutory results
· Sales decreased by 6%, or £260m, in headline terms. This was
primarily due to portfolio changes reducing sales by £347m partially offset
by currency movements increasing revenue by £97m.
· Statutory operating profit was £275m (2018: £553m). The
decrease is largely due to the reduced gains on disposals together with
increased intangible and restructuring charges which more than offset the
increase in adjusted operating profit.
· Statutory EPS of 34.0p (2018: 75.6p) with the decrease due to a
lower statutory operating profit, a lower tax benefit following one-off
benefits in 2018 and higher net interest payable following the adoption of
IFRS 16.
Digital transformation and simplification programme
· Further progress on Pearson's digital transformation with revenue
split 36% digital (2018: 34%), 30% digitally-enabled (2018: 28%) and 34%
non-digital (2018: 38%).
· Efficiency programme delivered incremental cost savings of £130m
in 2019. Annualised savings of £335m at the end of 2019. Pearson's
simplification programme enables ongoing efficiencies over time.
· Sale of remaining 25% stake in Penguin Random House announced on
18th December 2019. Transaction expected to close in H1 2020.
2020 outlook
· Expect to deliver 2020 adjusted operating profit of between
£410m to £490m (based on December 2019 exchange rates) after excluding the
25% stake in Penguin Random House.
· Expect the businesses excluding US Higher Education Courseware to
sustain low single digit sales growth in aggregate.
· Expect 2019 US Higher Education Courseware trends to continue
with heavy declines in print partially offset by modest growth in digital as
more products are added to the Pearson Learning Platform (PLP), previously
known as the Global Learning Platform.
· PLP product road map accelerating: 60% of all Revel fall
subscriptions on PLP by the end of the year; over 100 MyLab and Mastering
titles on PLP in 2021; new "Pearson eText" to be launched in 2020 to enhance
text and platform offerings. As product releases accelerate, digital growth is
expected to increase.
· Incremental restructuring benefits of £60m, as the restructuring
plan was delivered in 2019.
· New reporting structure disclosed on page 6 including a longer
term outlook for growth.
John Fallon, Chief Executive said:
"With 76% of the company already growing strongly, and all parts of Pearson
profitable, we are a simpler and more efficient company, completely focused
on empowering people to progress through a lifetime of learning. The future of
learning will be increasingly digital and we have built, by revenue, by far
the world's leading digital learning company. We've also built the platform by
which we can lead the next generation of digital learning, with an exciting
pipeline of new products and services all built around the things that
learners care most about - experience, outcomes and affordability. As we
benefit from further efficiencies from the investments we have made and deploy
our strong balance sheet, Pearson is now well placed, in time, to grow in a
profitable and sustainable way."
Financial Summary
£m 2019 2018 Headline growth CER Underlying growth
growth
Business performance
Sales 3,869 4,129 (6)% (9)% 0%
Adjusted operating profit 581 546 6% 4% 6%
Operating cash flow 418 513
Adjusted earnings per share 57.8p 70.3p
Dividend per share 19.5p 18.5p
Net debt (1,016) (143*)
Statutory results
Sales 3,869 4,129
Operating profit 275 553
Profit for the year 266 590
Cash generated from operations 480 547
Basic earnings per share 34.0p 75.6p
Throughout this announcement: a) Growth rates are stated on an underlying
basis unless otherwise stated. Underlying growth rates exclude currency
movements, portfolio changes and changes related to the adoption of IFRS 16.
b) The 'business performance' measures are non-GAAP measures and
reconciliations to the equivalent statutory heading under IFRS are included in
notes to the attached condensed consolidated financial statements 2, 3, 4, 5,
7, and 17.
*Net debt pre-IFRS 16
Board Changes
Following our announcement on the 16th January 2020, we confirm that Coram
Williams will step down as Chief Financial Officer at the Annual General
Meeting on the 24th April 2020 and Sally Johnson, currently Deputy Chief
Financial Officer, will be appointed to the Board as his successor.
Pearson announces that Josh Lewis, a Non-Executive Director of Pearson since
2011, is retiring from the Board at the Annual General Meeting in April, and
will not be seeking re-election.
Pearson's chairman Sidney Taurel said:
"The Board joins me in thanking Josh for his commitment and invaluable
contribution to Pearson. He has brought considerable experience and practical
know-how to our Board, particularly in relation to finance, by way of his
background in private equity investment focused on technology enabled
education businesses; and in education more broadly, where he has for many
years been involved with several pioneering enterprises and is also active in
the non-profit education sector. We wish Josh all the best in his future
endeavours."
Contacts
Investor Relations Jo Russell, Anjali Kotak +44 (0) 207 010 2310
Media Tom Steiner, Gemma Terry +44 (0) 207 010 2310
Brunswick Charles Pretzlik, Nick Cosgrove, Simone Selzer +44 (0) 207 404 5959
Webcast details Pearson's results presentation for investors and analysts will be webcast
(https://webcast.merchantcantoscdn.com/webcaster/dyn/4000/7464/16532/119013/Lobby/default.htm)
live today from 0900 (GMT).
Notes
Forward looking statements: Except for the historical information contained
herein, the matters discussed in this statement include forward-looking
statements. In particular, all statements that express forecasts, expectations
and projections with respect to future matters, including trends in results of
operations, margins, growth rates, overall market trends, the impact of
interest or exchange rates, the availability of financing, anticipated cost
savings and synergies and the execution of Pearson's strategy, are
forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements
involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on
circumstances that will occur in future. They are based on numerous
assumptions regarding Pearson's present and future business strategies and the
environment in which it will operate in the future. There are a number of
factors which could cause actual results and developments to differ materially
from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, including
a number of factors outside Pearson's control. These include international,
national and local conditions, as well as competition. They also include other
risks detailed from time to time in Pearson's publicly-filed documents and you
are advised to read, in particular, the risk factors set out in Pearson's
latest annual report and accounts, which can be found on this website
(www.pearson.com/corporate/investors.html). Any forward-looking statements
speak only as of the date they are made, and Pearson gives no undertaking to
update forward-looking statements to reflect any changes in its expectations
with regard thereto or any changes to events, conditions or circumstances on
which any such statement is based. Readers are cautioned not to place undue
reliance on such forward-looking statements.
Financial Overview
Profit & loss statement. In 2019, sales decreased by £260m in headline
terms to £3,869m (2018: £4,129m) with portfolio changes reducing sales by
£347m and currency movements increasing revenue by £97m. Stripping out the
impact of portfolio and currency movements, revenue was flat in underlying
terms. Underlying revenue in North America declined 3%, Core was up 5% and
Growth was up 4%.
The 2019 adjusted operating profit of £581m (2018: £546m) reflects a £130m
year-on-year benefit from restructuring, £19m benefit from other operational
factors, and a benefit of £15m from FX, and a £25m benefit from the adoption
of IFRS 16 offset by £37m of portfolio changes, £50m of inflation and a
£67m decrease from trading. Excluding the impact of FX and portfolio changes,
underlying adjusted operating profit grew 6%.
Net interest payable was £41m, compared to £24m in 2018. The increase is due
to the adoption of IFRS 16 which resulted in an additional £34m of net
interest payable in 2019. After excluding the impact of IFRS 16 there was a
reduction in net interest payable due to lower levels of net debt together
with favourable movements in interest on tax and the absence of one-off costs
from the redemption of bonds.
The effective tax rate on adjusted earnings in 2019 was a charge of 16.5%
compared to a credit of 5.2% in 2018. The increase in tax rate reflects the
absence of several one-off benefits in 2018, including provision releases due
to the expiry of relevant statutes of limitation and the reassessment of
historical positions.
Adjusted earnings per share of 57.8p (2018: 70.3p) reflects all the elements
above.
Cash generation. Operating cash flow of £418m in 2019 (2018: £513m) with
cash conversion at 72% (2018: 94%). This was impacted by the timing of the
disposal of our US K12 courseware business, a mismatch between cash and
accrued incentive compensation and challenging trading in US Higher Education.
These factors more than offset a modest benefit from the adoption of IFRS 16.
The equivalent statutory measure, net cash generated from operations, was
£480m in 2019 compared to £547m in 2018 for the same reasons noted above, as
well as higher net restructuring payments of £111m. 2018 had £25m
restructuring cash inflow due to proceeds from the rationalisation of our
property portfolio.
Statutory results. Our statutory operating profit was £275m in 2019 compared
to a profit of £553m in 2018. The decrease in 2019 is largely due to the
decrease in gains on disposals together with increased intangible and
restructuring charges which more than offset the increase in adjusted
operating profit.
Capital allocation. Our capital allocation policy is to maintain a strong
balance sheet and a solid investment grade rating, to continue to invest in
the business, to have a sustainable and progressive dividend policy, and to
return surplus cash to our shareholders. Given the strength of the balance
sheet and, with the simplification of our back office largely complete, this
gives us more scope for inorganic investment.
Balance sheet. Net debt to adjusted EBITDA was 1.3x on a post-IFRS 16 basis).
On a post-IFRS 16 basis net debt rose from £809m in 2018 to £1,016m in 2019
reflecting lower operating free cash flow, dividends, additional capital
invested in Penguin Random House, the acquisitions of Smart Sparrow and
Lumerit and outflows from the US K12 courseware.
In March 2019, the Group repurchased €55m of its remaining €500m Euro
1.875% notes due May 2021, to leave €195m outstanding. The Group also
refinanced its revolving credit facility (RCF) in February 2019, extending the
maturity to February 2024 and reducing the size to $1.19bn. Borrowings at 31
December 2019 included drawings on the Group's RCF of £230m (2018: £nil).
Pension plan. The overall surplus on UK pension plans of £571m at the end of
2018 has decreased to a surplus of £429m at the end of 2019. The decrease has
arisen principally due to the unfavourable impact from changes in discount
rate assumptions.
Dividend. In line with our policy, the Board is proposing a final dividend of
13.5p (2018: 13p), an increase of 4%, which results in an overall dividend of
19.5p (2018: 18.5p) subject to shareholder approval. This will be payable on
7(th) May 2020.
Share buyback. In January 2020, the Group commenced a £350m share buyback
programme in connection with the announcement in December 2019 of the sale of
its remaining 25% interest in Penguin Random House. We have completed £79m of
the share buyback so far.
Businesses held for sale. In December 2019, the Group announced the agreement
to sell its remaining 25% interest in Penguin Random House to Bertelsmann,
generating net proceeds of approximately $675m. At the end of December, our
share of the assets of Penguin Random House has been classified as held for
sale on the balance sheet.
Businesses disposed of. Following the decision to sell the US K12 courseware
business, the assets and liabilities of that business were classified as held
for sale on the balance sheet at the end of 2018. In March 2019, the Group
completed the sale resulting in a pre-tax profit on sale of £13m.
2020 Outlook
In 2019, we delivered flat underlying revenue, achieved adjusted operating
profit growth, made good progress on our simplification programme and laid the
foundations for growth. Our guidance for 2020 is for adjusted operating profit
between £410m and £490m and adjusted earnings per share of 38.0p to 47.0p.
This reflects our portfolio excluding Penguin Random House, exchange rates as
at 31 December 2019 and the following factors:
Inflation and other operational factors. Our 2020 guidance incorporates cost
inflation of c.£30m which reflects a lower cost base and the benefits of our
simplification drive, other operational factors of £45m predominantly due to
the reinstatement of staff incentives, as well as continued investment in our
strategic growth areas.
Trading. Trading is expected to impact profit between flat and £(80)m with
the decline in US Higher Education Courseware offset by growth in the rest of
the business.
Restructuring benefits. We expect incremental in-year benefits from the
2017-2019 restructuring programme of £60m in 2020.
Disposals. We expect an impact of £55m on adjusted operating profit from
portfolio changes including £65m from the sale of Penguin Random House.
Interest & tax. We expect a 2020 net interest charge of c.£50m and a tax
rate of c.21% excluding Penguin Random House.
Currency. In 2019, Pearson generated approximately 62% of its sales in the
US, 3% in Greater China, 5% in the Eurozone, 3% in Brazil, 3% in Canada, 4% in
Australia, 2% in South Africa and 2% in India and our guidance is based on
exchange rates at 31 December 2019.
We calculate that a 5c move in the US Dollar exchange rate to Sterling would
impact adjusted EPS by around 2p to 2.5p.
2020 reporting structure
We enclose details of our new reporting structure for 2020, which reflects
changes in the way we manage the business. We will report under the following
divisions from Q1 2020. We also provide a more detailed longer-term outlook.
Segment Business units 2020 revenue drivers Longer term revenue outlook
Global Online Learning OPM, Virtual Schools · Growth driven by enrolments · Mid to high-single digit
· Mid-single digit growth
Global Assessment Pearson VUE, US Student Assessment, US Clinical Assessment · Growth in Pearson VUE, stabilisation in · Low to mid-single digit
US Student Assessment
· Low to mid-single digit growth
International English, Core and Growth excluding online learning. Includes UK Student · Growth driven by English, UK Student Assessment & · Low to mid-single digit
Assessment & Qualifications Qualifications partially offset by loss of NCT
· Low to mid-single digit growth
North American Courseware US Higher Education Courseware, Canadian Courseware · Similar trends to 2019 with continued declines in print and modest · Stabilisation, then growth
growth in digital
Operational review - Geography
£ millions 2019 2018 Headline CER Underlying
growth growth growth
Sales
North America 2,534 2,784 (9)% (13)% (3)%
Core 838 806 4% 4% 5%
Growth 497 539 (8)% (7)% 4%
Total sales 3,869 4,129 (6)% (9)% 0%
Adjusted operating profit
North America 361 362 0% (6)% (3)%
Core 92 57 61% 67% 58%
Growth 63 59 7% 7% 24%
Penguin Random House 65 68 (4)% (1)% (1)%
Total adjusted operating profit 581 546 6% 4% 6%
See note 2 in the condensed consolidated financial statements for the
reconciliation to the equivalent statutory measures.
North America
Revenue declined 3% in underlying terms, primarily due to US Higher Education
Courseware declining 12%, and Student Assessment, which declined slightly.
Offsetting that, we saw good growth in Virtual Schools, Online Program
Management (OPM) and Professional Certification (VUE) revenue. Headline
revenue decreased due to disposals, partly offset by FX gains.
Adjusted operating profit declined 3% in underlying terms, due to the impact
of lower sales, inflation and other operating factors partially offset by
restructuring savings. Headline profit was flat on last year, with the impacts
on adjusted operating profit offset by the benefits of FX and IFRS 16
adoption.
Courseware In US Higher Education Courseware, a revenue decline of 12% with print
declining close to 30% was partially offset by modest growth in digital. In
2019 the weaker performance was driven by a number of factors:
· Unbundling of premium-priced print and digital products for
digital only formats. Sales of bundle units declined 45% during 2019.
· Campus bookstores buying less physical inventory due to changing
student behavior, with over 50% of learners now preferring an eBook to a
physical text. This trend led to eBook growth of 18% during 2019.
· Modest adoption share loss caused by the delivery issues due to
the implementation of the new ERP system in H2 2018 as well as the
re-organisation of our sales force.
We are focused on regaining share over time as we build traction from the
rollout of our next wave of digital products on the Pearson Learning Platform,
which launched in September. 60% of all Revel fall subscriptions will migrate
onto the PLP by the end of the year enhancing the faculty and student
experience.
We are also launching a direct-to-learner version of the Pearson eBook in
2020, with enhanced features.
US Higher Education Courseware digital registrations, including eBooks,
declined 2%. Good registration growth in Revel, up 9%, was offset by continued
market pressure in Developmental Mathematics and the planned retirement and
deprioritisation of long-tail products.
We continue to make good progress with Inclusive Access signing 162 new
institutions in 2019, taking the total not-for-profit and public institutions
served to 779. Including 80 longer-standing contracts with for-profit
colleges, we now have direct relationships with over 850 institutions.
In 2019, we served 1.8m Inclusive Access enrolments up from 1.4m in 2018,
making up 9% of 2019 US Higher Education Courseware revenue, up 19% on 2018 on
a like-for-like basis, excluding the 80 for-profit colleges.
Assessment In Student Assessment, underlying revenue declined slightly in 2019 with
continued contraction in revenue associated with PARCC and ACT-Aspire
multi-state contracts and contract losses which were partially offset by new
contract wins.
During 2019, Pearson won new contracts or signed renewals in several key
incumbent states including Kentucky, Maryland, Colorado and New Jersey, as
well as the federal NCES contract for delivering the National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP). Pearson also won back the testing contract in the
state of Tennessee.
Automated scoring continues to be a competitive strength for Pearson. In 2019,
we scored 39m responses with AI, up 8% from 2018.
In Professional Certification (VUE), global test volume rose 8% to c.16.5m.
Revenue in North America was up a high single-digit percentage, mostly driven
by the IT sector with increased demand for cloud technology certifications
through Microsoft and Amazon, and volume growth in an education contract
launched at the end of 2018 which is now operating at its full run-rate.
We signed over 40 new contracts in 2019, including the Project Management
Institute (PMI) and our renewal rate on existing contracts continues to be
over 95%.
Clinical Assessment underlying revenue declined as demand for new product only
partially offset normal declines in products in the later stages of their
lifecycle.
Services School Services (Virtual Schools) grew revenue 6% and served 76,000 Full Time
Equivalent (FTE) students through 42 continuing full-time virtual partner
schools in 28 states, up 5% on last year.
Six new full-time online, state-wide partner schools opened in the 2019-20
school year in the states of Oregon, Washington, Tennessee, Minnesota and
California, while a contract was exited in North Carolina.
Higher Education Services (including OPM and Learning Studio) grew revenue 4%,
due to growth in OPM, partially offset by a small drag from Learning Studio
revenue, a learning management system, which was fully retired in 2019.
In OPM, revenue grew 9%, with growth in course registrations of 5% and new
programs launched more than offsetting programs terminated. Our overall active
program count grew to 347 from 325 in 2018.
During 2019, we continued to optimise our portfolio and reduce the number of
partners to 25 from 35. This will allow us to shift towards enterprise models
where we have a number of programs with a single partner and can benefit from
economies of scale in marketing and recruitment. We are also working to
integrate more content and assessment services into our partnerships.
Core
Revenue was up 5% in underlying terms and 4% in headline terms with growth in
Student Assessment and Qualifications including the delivery of a new digital
assessment contract in Egypt, Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic),
OPM and Professional Certification (VUE) all partially offset by declines in
Courseware.
Adjusted operating profit increased 58% in underlying terms and 61% in
headline terms due to trading growth and restructuring savings.
Courseware Courseware revenue declined moderately. Declines in School Courseware in the
UK and Australia offset growth in Italy. In Higher Education Courseware,
revenue declines in the UK and Europe more than offset growth in Australia.
Assessment In Student Assessment and Qualifications, revenue grew strongly, due to price
and volume increases for A levels and GCSEs and the delivery of a new digital
assessment contract in Egypt. This was partially offset by continued market
declines in Apprenticeships.
We successfully delivered the National Curriculum Test (NCT) for 2019, marking
3.8m scripts, up slightly from 2018. The NCT will be delivered by another
provider in 2020.
In Professional Certification (VUE), revenue was up due to good growth in the
DVSA test in the UK, additional exam series added to the ICAEW contract and
good growth in the MOI (French driving test) which launched in late 2017.
Clinical Assessment sales declined primarily in France and the Netherlands due
to an absence of new major product introductions.
PTE Academic saw continued strong growth in test volumes in Australia and New
Zealand up 14% from 2018. This was driven by its use to support visa
applications to the Australian Department of Home Affairs as well as good
growth in New Zealand. We recently announced the win of the UK Secure English
Language Test (SELT) contract with the UK Home Office which we expect to drive
future growth.
Services In Higher Education Services (OPM), revenue growth was driven by course
enrolment growth in the UK. During the year, we also announced new OPM
partnerships in Australia with the University of Adelaide and University of
Wollongong.
Growth
Revenue grew 4% in underlying terms due to strong growth in China and good
growth in Brazil and the Middle East, partially offset by declines in South
Africa. Headline revenue declined due to disposals.
Adjusted operating profit increased 24% in underlying terms, reflecting higher
revenue together with the benefits of restructuring. In headline terms,
adjusted operating profit increased 7% with the impact of disposals more than
offset by trading and restructuring savings.
Courseware Courseware revenue was flat in underlying terms, with growth in English
Language Courseware in China and School Courseware in the Middle East and
Hispano America, offset by declines in Higher Education Courseware in South
Africa following a change in government funding.
Assessment Professional Certification revenue grew well due to a large ICT infrastructure
certification contract, and a number of new smaller contract launches in
China.
PTE Academic saw strong growth in revenue with test volumes up 25% in India
and China.
Services In English Services, underlying revenue grew slightly in our English Language
School franchise in Brazil due to new product launches.
In School Services, underlying revenue grew slightly due to price increases
and new product launches in our sistemas in Brazil.
In Higher Education Services, enrolments grew 3% at the Pearson Institute of
Higher Education (formerly CTI), however revenue declined modestly due to
changes in mix.
Penguin Random House
Pearson owns 25% of Penguin Random House, the first truly global consumer book
publishing company.
Penguin Random House performed solidly with underlying revenue growth from a
rise in audio sales, stable print sales, and the industry's top bestsellers,
including Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owen, Becoming by Michelle Obama,
and bestselling books by Margaret Atwood, Tara Westover, Lee Child, Jamie
Oliver, Jeff Kinney, and Dr. Seuss.
Financial Review
Operating result
Sales decreased on a headline basis by £260m or 6% from £4,129m in 2018 to
£3,869m in 2019 and adjusted operating profit increased by £35m or 6% from
£546m in 2018 to £581m in 2019 (for a reconciliation of this measure see
note 2 to the condensed consolidated financial statements).
The headline basis simply compares the reported results for 2019 with those
for 2018. We also present sales and profits on an underlying basis which
exclude the effects of exchange, the effect of portfolio changes arising from
acquisitions and disposals and the impact of adopting new accounting standards
that are not retrospectively applied. Our portfolio change is calculated by
taking account of the contribution from acquisitions and by excluding sales
and profits made by businesses disposed in either 2018 or 2019. Portfolio
changes mainly relate to the sale of our US K12 school courseware business in
2019 and the sale of our Wall Street English language teaching business in the
first half of 2018. Acquisition contribution was not significant in either
2018 or 2019.
In 2019, our underlying basis excludes the impact on adjusted operating profit
of IFRS 16 'Leases'. This new standard was adopted on 1 January 2019 but the
comparative figures for 2018 have not been restated. The impact in 2019 was to
increase adjusted operating profit by £25m (see also note 1b to the condensed
consolidated financial statements).
On an underlying basis, sales were flat in 2019 compared to 2018 and adjusted
operating profit increased by 6%. Currency movements increased sales by £97m
and adjusted operating profit by £15m. Portfolio changes decreased sales by
£347m and together with the impact of IFRS 16 (as noted above) decreased
adjusted operating profit by £12m.
Adjusted operating profit includes the results from discontinued operations
when relevant but excludes intangible charges for amortisation and impairment,
acquisition related costs, gains and losses arising from acquisitions and
disposals and the cost of major restructuring. In 2018, we also excluded the
impact of adjustments arising from clarification of guaranteed minimum pension
(GMP) equalisation legislation in the UK which impacted the post-retirement
benefit charge in 2018 but does not recur in 2019. A summary of these
adjustments is included below and in more detail in note 2 to the condensed
consolidated financial statements.
all figures in £ millions 2019 2018
Operating profit 275 553
Add back: Cost of major restructuring 159 102
Add back: Intangible charges 163 113
Add back: Other net gains and losses (16) (230)
Add back: UK pension GMP equalisation - 8
Adjusted operating profit 581 546
In May 2017, we announced a restructuring programme, to run between 2017 and
2019, to drive significant cost savings. This programme began in the second
half of 2017 and costs incurred relate to delivery of cost efficiencies in our
enabling functions and US higher education courseware business together with
further rationalisation of the property and supplier portfolio. The
restructuring costs in 2019 relate predominantly to staff redundancies whilst
the restructuring costs in 2018 relate predominantly to staff redundancies and
the net cost of property rationalisation including the net impact of the
consolidation of our property footprint in London.
Intangible amortisation charges in 2019 were £163m compared to a charge of
£113m in 2018, as although acquisition activity has reduced in recent years,
there was an additional £65m impairment charge in 2019 relating to acquired
intangibles in the Brazil business following a reassessment of the relative
risk in that market. Other net gains included in operating profit of £16m in
2019 mainly relate to the profit on sale of the K12 business. Other net gains
of £230m in 2018 relate to the sale of the Wall Street English language
teaching business (WSE), a gain of £207m, the disposal of our equity interest
in UTEL, the online University partnership in Mexico, a gain of £19m, and
various other smaller disposal items.
The statutory operating profit of £275m in 2019 compares to a profit of
£553m in 2018. The decrease in 2019 is largely due to the decrease in gains
on disposal, together with increased intangible and restructuring charges
which offset the increase in adjusted operating profit.
Net finance costs
Net interest payable in 2019 was £41m, compared to £24m in 2018. The
increase is due to the adoption of IFRS 16 which resulted in an additional
£34m of net interest payable in 2019. After excluding the impact of IFRS 16
there was a reduction in net interest payable due to lower levels of average
net debt together with favourable movements in interest on tax and the absence
of one-off costs relating to the redemption of bonds.
Finance income relating to retirement benefits has been excluded from our
adjusted earnings as we believe the income statement presentation does not
reflect the economic substance of the underlying assets and liabilities. Also
included in the statutory definition of net finance costs (but not in our
adjusted measure) are interest costs relating to acquisition consideration,
foreign exchange and other gains and losses on derivatives. Interest relating
to acquisition consideration is excluded from adjusted earnings as it is
considered to be part of the acquisition cost rather than being reflective of
the underlying financing costs of the Group. Foreign exchange and other gains
and losses are excluded from adjusted earnings as they represent short-term
fluctuations in market value and are subject to significant volatility. Other
gains and losses may not be realised in due course as it is normally the
intention to hold the related instruments to maturity (for more information
see note 3 to the condensed consolidated financial statements).
In 2019, the total of these items excluded from adjusted earnings was a charge
of £2m compared to a charge of £31m in 2018. Finance income relating to
retirement benefits increased from £11m in 2018 to £13m in 2019 reflecting
the comparative funding position of the plans at the beginning of each year.
The remainder of the decrease was largely driven by a reduction in foreign
exchange losses on unhedged cash and cash equivalents in 2019 compared to
2018. For a reconciliation of the adjusted measure see note 3 to the condensed
consolidated financial statements.
Taxation
The effective tax rate on adjusted earnings in 2019 was a charge of 16.5%
compared to an effective rate credit of 5.2% in 2018. The increase is mainly
due to the absence of several one-off benefits present in 2018 including the
release of provisions due to the expiry of relevant statutes of limitation,
the reassessment of historical positions as well as a one-off benefit from a
reassessment of the tax treatment of certain items of income and expenses.
The reported tax charge on a statutory basis in 2019 was a credit of £34m
(14.7%) compared to a credit of £92m (18.5%) in 2018. The statutory tax
credit in 2019 was primarily due to US tax losses generated on the disposal of
the US K12 business.
Operating tax paid in 2019 was £9m. This was impacted by a refund received
in the US relating to historical periods together with no US tax being paid in
relation to 2019 as a result of the tax loss on the sale of our US K12
business. Non-operating tax paid of £21m in 2019 relates to tax paid to the
Chinese tax authorities following the disposal of WSE during 2018 and New York
state and city taxes paid in the US as a result of a settlement with the tax
authorities relating to past disposals. Deferred tax liabilities reduced from
£136m in 2018 to £48m in 2019 mainly due to the generation of tax losses in
the US as noted above. Deferred tax assets and current tax liabilities
remained relatively consistent year on year. There are contingent liabilities
in relation to tax as outlined in note 18 to the condensed consolidated
financial statements.
The Group adopted IFRIC 23 'Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments' on 1
January 2019 resulting in a reduction of £5m in provisions for uncertain tax
positions. The cumulative effect of applying this adjustment has been applied
to retained earnings at 1 January 2019 (see also note 1c to the condensed
consolidated financial statements). The impact of adopting IFRIC 23 on the
income statement for 2019 was not material.
Other comprehensive income
Included in other comprehensive income are the net exchange differences on
translation of foreign operations. The loss on translation of £115m in 2019
compares to a gain in 2018 of £90m. The loss in 2019 mainly arises from the
weakness of the US dollar compared to sterling. A significant proportion of
the Group's operations are based in the US and the US dollar weakened in 2019
from an opening rate of £1:$1.27 to a closing rate at the end of 2019 of
£1:$1.32. At the end of 2018 the US dollar had strengthened from an opening
rate of £1:$1.35 to a closing rate of £1:$1.27 and this movement was the
main reason for the gain in 2018.
Also included in other comprehensive income in 2019 is an actuarial loss of
£149m in relation to retirement benefit obligations of the Group and our
share of the retirement benefit obligations of PRH. The loss arises from the
unfavourable impact of changes in the assumptions used to value the
liabilities in the plans and in particular movements in the discount rate. The
value of assets was also impacted following the UK plan's purchase of
insurance buy-in policies in the first half of 2019. The loss in 2019 compares
to an actuarial gain in 2018 of £25m.
Cash flows
Our operating cash flow measure is used to align cash flows with our adjusted
profit measures (see note 17 to the condensed consolidated financial
statements). Operating cash outflow decreased on a headline basis by £95m
from £513m in 2018 to £418m in 2019. The decrease results from increased
investment in pre-publication and other increases in net working capital
including the impact of reduced staff incentives and the absence of a
contribution from the K12 business following its disposal in the first half of
the year. These factors more than offset a positive impact from the adoption
of IFRS 16.
The equivalent statutory measure, net cash used in operations, was £480m in
2019 compared to £547m in 2018. Compared to operating cash flow, this measure
includes restructuring costs but does not include regular dividends from
associates or capital expenditure on property, plant, equipment and software.
Restructuring cash flow inflow of £25m in 2018 included proceeds from the
sale of property primarily associated with the rationalisation of the property
footprint in London and in 2019 restructuring cash outflow was £111m. The
restructuring payments made in 2019 together with the impact of the adoption
of IFRS 16 (see section below) largely explain the reduction in provisions and
other liabilities on the balance sheet when comparing 2019 and 2018. The
adoption of IFRS 16 has resulted in a change in the classification of lease
related cash flows in the cash flow statement although there is no impact on
the total movement in cash and cash equivalents.
The Group's net debt increased from £143m at the end of 2018 to £1,016m at
the end of 2019. The adoption of IFRS 16 added £666m of debt on transition
with the remainder of the increase principally due to treasury share
purchases, additional capital invested in PRH and outflows from the K12
disposal transaction which outweighed the normal cash inflow from operations
after taking account of interest, tax and dividend payments.
Post-retirement benefits
Pearson operates a variety of pension and post-retirement plans. Our UK Group
pension plan has by far the largest defined benefit section. We have some
smaller defined benefit sections in the US and Canada but, outside the UK,
most of our companies operate defined contribution plans.
The charge to profit in respect of worldwide pensions and retirement benefits
amounted to £56m in 2019 (2018: £56m) of which a charge of £69m (2018:
£67m) was reported in adjusted operating profit and income of £13m (2018:
£11m) was reported against other net finance costs. The small increase in the
operating charge in 2019 is largely explained by the absence of material past
service items which in 2018 included a credit of £11m relating to changes in
the US post-retirement medical plan and a charge of £8m relating to
guaranteed minimum pension (GMP) equalisation.
The overall surplus on UK Group pension plans of £571m at the end of 2018 has
decreased to a surplus of £429m at the end of 2019. The decrease has arisen
principally due to the actuarial loss noted above in the other comprehensive
income section. In total, our worldwide net position in respect of pensions
and other post-retirement benefits decreased from a net asset of £471m at the
end of 2018 to a net asset of £337m at the end of 2019.
Adoption of new accounting standards and interpretations in 2019
The adoption of IFRS 16 'Leases' has impacted both the income statement as
described above and has had an impact on certain lines in the balance sheet.
The lease liability (classified as financial liabilities - borrowings) brought
onto the balance sheet at transition was £881m with the corresponding
right-of-use asset (classified within property, plant and equipment) valued at
£424m. In addition, certain subleases have been reclassified as finance
leases resulting in an additional lease receivable (classified as other
receivables) of £215m being brought on balance sheet. The net impact on
the balance sheet is a reduction of net assets of £83m after taking into
account existing liabilities relating to onerous lease provisions (reducing
provisions for other liabilities and charges by £101m), lease incentives,
prepayments, adjustments to tax and the net impact on associates. The full
impact of the adoption of this standard is outlined in note 1b to the
condensed consolidated financial statements.
The impact of adopting IFRIC 23 'Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments' had a
small impact on the current tax balance but has not materially impacted the
income statement (see note 1c to the condensed consolidated financial
statements).
Dividends
The dividend accounted for in our 2019 financial statements totalling £147m
represents the final dividend in respect of 2018 (13.0p) and the interim
dividend for 2019 (6.0p). We are proposing a final dividend for 2019 of
13.5p bringing the total paid and payable in respect of 2019 to 19.5p. This
final 2019 dividend which was approved by the Board in February 2020, is
subject to approval at the forthcoming AGM and will be charged against 2020
profits. For 2019, the dividend is covered 3.0 times by adjusted earnings.
Businesses held for sale and businesses disposed
Following the decision to sell the K12 school courseware business in the US,
the assets and liabilities of that business were classified as held for sale
on the balance sheet at the end of 2018. In March 2019, the Group completed
the sale of its K12 business resulting in a pre-tax profit on sale of £13m.
Total gross proceeds were £200m including £180m of deferred proceeds which
include the fair value of an unconditional vendor note for $225m and an
entitlement to 20% of future cash flows to equity holders and 20% of net
proceeds in the event of a subsequent sale.
The cash outflow in the year relating to the disposal of subsidiaries was
£101m mainly reflecting the deferral of proceeds for K12 and the level of
working capital held in this business at the disposal date.
Tax on the disposal of K12 is estimated to be a benefit of £51m. The benefit
arises as the transaction gives rise to a loss for tax purposes mainly due to
the differing treatment of deferred revenue disposed in the tax computation.
In addition to the tax on K12 there were £17m of tax credits relating to
adjustments following settlement of tax relating to prior year disposals.
Further details relating to this transaction can be found in notes 10, 14 and
16 to the condensed consolidated financial statements.
In December 2019, the Group announced the sale of its remaining 25% interest
in PRH. At the end of December our share of the assets of PRH has been
classified as held for sale on the balance sheet.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT
for the year ended 31 December 2019
all figures in £ millions note 2019 2018
Continuing operations
Sales 2 3,869 4,129
Cost of goods sold (1,858) (1,943)
Gross profit 2,011 2,186
Operating expenses (1,806) (1,907)
Other net gains and losses 2 16 230
Share of results of joint ventures and associates 54 44
Operating profit 2 275 553
Finance costs 3 (84) (91)
Finance income 3 41 36
Profit before tax 4 232 498
Income tax 5 34 92
Profit for the year 266 590
Attributable to:
Equity holders of the company 264 588
Non-controlling interest 2 2
Earnings per share (in pence per share)
Basic 6 34.0p 75.6p
Diluted 6 34.0p 75.5p
The accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements form
an integral part of the financial information.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
for the year ended 31 December 2019
all figures in £ millions 2019 2018
Profit for the year 266 590
Items that may be reclassified to the income statement
Net exchange differences on translation of foreign operations - Group (113) 91
Net exchange differences on translation of foreign operations - associates (2) (1)
Currency translation adjustment on disposals 4 (4)
Attributable tax 5 (4)
Items that are not reclassified to the income statement
Fair value gain on other financial assets 20 8
Attributable tax (4) -
Remeasurement of retirement benefit obligations - Group (145) 22
Remeasurement of retirement benefit obligations - associates (4) 3
Attributable tax 22 9
Other comprehensive (expense) / income for the year (217) 124
Total comprehensive income for the year 49 714
Attributable to:
Equity holders of the company 47 712
Non-controlling interest 2 2
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
as at 31 December 2019
all figures in £ millions note 2019 2018
Property, plant and equipment 618 237
Intangible assets 11 2,900 3,009
Investments in joint ventures and associates 7 392
Deferred income tax assets 59 60
Financial assets - derivative financial instruments 29 67
Retirement benefit assets 429 571
Other financial assets 122 93
Trade and other receivables 313 100
Non-current assets 4,477 4,529
Intangible assets - pre-publication 870 817
Inventories 169 164
Trade and other receivables 1,275 1,178
Financial assets - derivative financial instruments 25 1
Cash and cash equivalents (excluding overdrafts) 437 568
Current assets 2,776 2,728
Assets classified as held for sale 10 397 648
Total assets 7,650 7,905
Financial liabilities - borrowings (1,572) (674)
Financial liabilities - derivative financial instruments (24) (36)
Deferred income tax liabilities (48) (136)
Retirement benefit obligations (92) (100)
Provisions for other liabilities and charges (13) (145)
Other liabilities 12 (86) (155)
Non-current liabilities (1,835) (1,246)
Trade and other liabilities 12 (1,278) (1,400)
Financial liabilities - borrowings (92) (46)
Financial liabilities - derivative financial instruments (15) (23)
Current income tax liabilities (55) (72)
Provisions for other liabilities and charges (52) (20)
Current liabilities (1,492) (1,561)
Liabilities classified as held for sale 10 - (573)
Total liabilities (3,327) (3,380)
Net assets 4,323 4,525
Share capital 195 195
Share premium 2,614 2,607
Treasury shares (24) (33)
Reserves 1,528 1,747
Total equity attributable to equity holders of the company 4,313 4,516
Non-controlling interest 10 9
Total equity 4,323 4,525
The condensed consolidated financial statements were approved by the Board on
20 February 2020.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
for the year ended 31 December 2019
Equity attributable to equity holders of the company
all figures in £ millions Share capital Share premium Treasury shares Capital redemption reserve Fair value reserve Translation reserve Retained earnings Total Non-controlling interest Total equity
2019
At 1 January 2019 195 2,607 (33) 11 19 678 1,039 4,516 9 4,525
Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 16 net of tax (see note 1b) - - - - - - (83) (83) - (83)
Adjustment on initial application of IFRIC 23 (see note 1c) - - - - - - 5 5 - 5
At 1 January 2019 (restated) 195 2,607 (33) 11 19 678 961 4,438 9 4,447
Profit for the year - - - - - - 264 264 2 266
Other comprehensive income / (expense) - - - - 20 (111) (126) (217) - (217)
Total comprehensive income / (expense) - - - - 20 (111) 138 47 2 49
Equity-settled transactions - - - - - - 25 25 - 25
Tax on equity settled transactions - - - - - - (5) (5) - (5)
Issue of ordinary shares under share option schemes - 7 - - - - - 7 - 7
Buyback of equity - - - - - - - - - -
Purchase of treasury shares - - (52) - - - - (52) - (52)
Release of treasury shares - - 61 - - - (61) - - -
Transfer of gain on disposal of FVOCI investment - - - - - - - - - -
Dividends - - - - - - (147) (147) (1) (148)
At 31 December 2019 195 2,614 (24) 11 39 567 911 4,313 10 4,323
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
for the year ended 31 December 2019
Equity attributable to equity holders of the company
all figures in £ millions Share capital Share premium Treasury shares Capital redemption reserve Fair value reserve Translation reserve Retained earnings Total Non-controlling interest Total equity
2018
At 1 January 2018 200 2,602 (61) 5 13 592 544 3,895 8 3,903
Profit for the year - - - - - - 588 588 2 590
Other comprehensive income - - - - 8 86 30 124 - 124
Total comprehensive income - - - - 8 86 618 712 2 714
Equity-settled transactions - - - - - - 37 37 - 37
Tax on equity settled transactions - - - - - - 4 4 - 4
Issue of ordinary shares under share option schemes 1 5 - - - - - 6 - 6
Buyback of equity (6) - - 6 - - (2) (2) - (2)
Purchase of treasury shares - - - - - - - - - -
Release of treasury shares - - 28 - - - (28) - - -
Transfer of gain on disposal of FVOCI investment - - - - (2) - 2 - - -
Dividends - - - - - - (136) (136) (1) (137)
At 31 December 2018 195 2,607 (33) 11 19 678 1,039 4,516 9 4,525
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT
for the year ended 31 December 2019
all figures in £ millions note 2019 2018
Cash flows from operating activities
Net cash generated from operations 17 480 547
Interest paid (81) (42)
Tax paid (30) (43)
Net cash generated from operating activities 369 462
Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisition of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired 13 (45) (5)
Additional capital invested in associates 13 (40) -
Purchase of investments (12) (10)
Purchase of property, plant and equipment (55) (70)
Purchase of intangible assets (138) (130)
Disposal of subsidiaries, net of cash disposed 14 (101) 83
Proceeds from sale of joint ventures and associates - 18
Proceeds from sale of investments 5 6
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 1 128
Proceeds from sale of liquid resources - 10
Lease receivables repaid 26 -
Loans (advanced to) / repaid by related parties (49) 46
Investment in liquid resources - (2)
Interest received 17 20
Investment income 2 -
Dividends received from joint ventures and associates 64 117
Net cash (used in) / generated from investing activities (325) 211
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from issue of ordinary shares 7 6
Buyback of equity - (153)
Purchase of treasury shares (52) -
Proceeds from borrowings 230 -
Repayment of borrowings (48) (441)
Repayment of lease liabilities (91) (4)
Dividends paid to company's shareholders (147) (136)
Dividends paid to non-controlling interest (1) (1)
Net cash used in financing activities (102) (729)
Effects of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (33) (49)
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents (91) (105)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 525 630
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year 434 525
For the purposes of the cash flow statement, cash and cash equivalents are
presented net of overdrafts repayable on demand. These overdrafts are excluded
from cash and cash equivalents disclosed on the balance sheet.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
1a. Basis of preparation
The condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in
accordance with the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct
Authority and in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards
(IFRS) and IFRS Interpretations Committee interpretations as adopted by the
European Union (EU). In respect of accounting standards applicable to the
Group, there is no difference between EU-adopted IFRS and International
Accounting Standards Board (IASB)-adopted IFRS.
The condensed consolidated financial statements have also been prepared in
accordance with the accounting policies set out in the 2018 Annual Report,
except as outlined in notes 1b, 1c and 1d below, and have been prepared under
the historical cost convention as modified by the revaluation of certain
financial assets and liabilities (including derivative financial instruments)
at fair value.
The 2018 Annual Report refers to new standards that the Group will adopt in
future years but that are not yet effective in 2019. The Group does not expect
these to have a material impact.
The Group's forecasts and projections, taking account of reasonably possible
changes in trading performance, seasonal working capital requirements and
potential acquisition activity, show that the Group should be able to operate
within the level of its current committed borrowing facilities. The directors
have confirmed that they have a reasonable expectation that the Group has
adequate resources to continue in operational existence. The condensed
consolidated financial statements have therefore been prepared on a going
concern basis.
The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements requires the
use of certain critical accounting assumptions. It also requires management
to exercise its judgement in the process of applying the Group's accounting
policies. The areas requiring a higher degree of judgement or complexity, or
areas where assumptions and estimates are significant to the condensed
consolidated financial statements, have been set out in the 2018 Annual
Report. In 2019, both the IFRS 16 transition and the valuation of receivables
relating to the sale of the K12 business require the use of assumptions and
estimates as set out in notes 1b and 16 respectively to the condensed
consolidated financial statements.
The financial information for the year ended 31 December 2018 does not
constitute statutory accounts as defined in section 434 of the Companies Act
2006. A copy of the statutory accounts for that year has been delivered to
the Registrar of Companies. The independent auditors' report on the full
financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2018 was unqualified and
did not contain an emphasis of matter paragraph or any statement under section
498 of the Companies Act 2006.
This preliminary announcement does not constitute the Group's full financial
statements for the year ended 31 December 2019. The Group's full financial
statements will be approved by the Board of Directors and reported on by the
auditors in March 2020. Accordingly, the financial information for 2019 is
presented unaudited in the preliminary announcement.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
1b. Change of accounting policy: IFRS 16
The Group has adopted IFRS 16 'Leases' at 1 January 2019 and applied the
modified retrospective approach. Comparatives for 2018 have not been restated
and the cumulative impact of adoption has been recognised as a decrease to net
assets with a corresponding decrease in retained earnings at 1 January 2019 as
follows:
all figures in £ millions 2019
1 January
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment (right-of-use assets) 424
Investment in joint ventures and associates (2)
Deferred income tax assets 1
Trade and other receivables 185
Current assets
Trade and other receivables 7
Non-current liabilities
Financial liabilities - borrowings (792)
Deferred income tax liabilities 14
Provisions for other liabilities and charges 101
Other liabilities 58
Current liabilities
Financial liabilities - borrowings (89)
Trade and other liabilities 10
Total decrease in retained earnings at 1 January 2019 (83)
The Group's lease portfolio consists of approximately 750 property leases
together with a number of vehicle and equipment leases. The lease liability
has been measured at the present value of the remaining lease payments,
discounted using the incremental borrowing rate at transition. The
right-of-use asset has been measured at the carrying amount as if the standard
had been applied since the commencement of the lease, discounted using the
incremental borrowing rate at transition. Where data was not available to
enable this measurement to be made, the right-of-use asset has been measured
at an amount equal to the lease liability.
On transition the Group elected not to reassess whether a contract is, or
contains, a lease, instead relying on the assessment already made applying IAS
17 'Leases' and IFRIC 4 'Determining whether an Arrangement contains a Lease'.
In addition, the Group applied the available practical expedients as follows:
· Relied on its assessment of whether leases are onerous
immediately prior to the date of initial application.
· Applied the short-term leases exemptions to leases with a
lease term ending within 12 months at the date of the initial application.
· Excluded the initial direct costs from the measurement of the
right-of-use asset at the date of initial application.
· Used hindsight in determining the lease term where the
contract contains options to extend or terminate the lease.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
1b. Change of accounting policy: IFRS 16 continued
Adoption of the new standard has a material impact on the Group. The lease
liability brought onto the balance sheet at transition was £881m with the
corresponding right-of-use asset valued at £424m. In addition, certain
subleases have been reclassified as finance leases resulting in an additional
lease
receivable of £215m being brought on balance sheet. The net impact on the
balance sheet is a reduction of net assets of £83m after taking into account
existing liabilities relating to onerous lease provisions, lease incentives,
prepayments, adjustments to tax and the net impact on associates. There were
no leases relating to held for sale assets at 1 January 2019.
The impact on the income statement for 2019 was to reduce profit before tax by
£9m (increasing both adjusted and statutory operating profit by £25m and
increasing net finance costs by £34m). The operating lease expense recognised
under the previous accounting standard is now replaced by depreciation and net
finance costs. The impact on the Group's share of joint venture and associate
profit is not material.
There is no overall impact on the Group's cash and cash equivalents although
there is a change to the classification of cash flows in the cash flow
statement with lease payments and finance lease receipts previously
categorised as net cash used in operations now being split between the
principal element (categorised in financing activities for payments and
investing activities for receipts) and the interest element (categorised as
interest paid in operating activities or interest received in investing
activities). In 2019 there were £91m of lease payments classified as
financing cash flows, £26m of lease receipts classified as investing cash
flows, £45m of lease interest payments and £11m of lease interest receipts.
The Group has also included the lease liability and investment in finance
lease as part of its net debt which impacts the calculation of the Group's
non-GAAP measures for operating cash flow and free cash flow (see also notes
15 and 17).
The lease liabilities at 1 January 2019 can be reconciled to the operating
lease commitments at 31 December 2018 as follows:
all figures in £ millions 2019
1 January
Operating lease commitments disclosed at 31 December 2018 1,175
Discounted using the lessee's incremental borrowing rate at the date of (290)
initial application
(Less): commitments relating to short-term leases (7)
Add: adjustments relating to the different treatment of extension and 3
termination options
Additional lease liability recognised at 1 January 2019 881
Analysed as:
Current lease liabilities 89
Non-current lease liabilities 792
In addition to the lease liabilities transitioned above, the Group had £5m of
lease liabilities that were accounted for as finance leases at 31 December
2018. The weighted average incremental borrowing rate applied to the lease
liabilities on 1 January 2019 was 5.0%.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
1b. Change of accounting policy: IFRS 16 continued
From 1 January 2019, the Group's lease policy is summarised as follows:
The Group recognises a right-of-use asset and a lease liability at the lease
commencement date. The right-of-use asset is initially measured at cost,
comprising the initial amount of the lease liability plus any initial direct
costs incurred and an estimate of costs to restore the underlying asset, less
any lease incentives received. The right-of-use asset is subsequently
depreciated using the straight-line method from the commencement date to the
earlier of the end of the useful life of the asset or the end of the lease
term. The lease liability is initially measured at the present value of the
lease payments that are not paid at the commencement date, discounted using
the incremental borrowing rate. The lease liability is measured at amortised
cost using the effective interest method. It is remeasured when there is a
change in future lease payments arising from a change in an index or a rate or
a change in the Group's assessment of whether it will exercise an extension or
termination option. When the lease liability is remeasured, a corresponding
adjustment is made to the right-of-use asset.
1c. Change of accounting policy: IFRIC 23
The Group has adopted IFRIC 23 'Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments'
effective 1 January 2019. The interpretation clarifies the application of the
recognition and measurement requirements in IAS 12 'Income taxes' where there
is uncertainty over income tax treatments. The interpretation provides
guidance to determine whether uncertain tax positions should be considered
separately or together, and that measurement should be whether the single most
likely outcome or the probability weighted sum of a range of outcomes,
whichever better predicts the resolution. The reassessment of current tax
liabilities resulted in a decrease in liabilities of £5m but does not have a
material impact on the income statement.
1d. Change of accounting policy: Amendments to IFRS 9 and IFRS 7
The Group has considered the impact of IBOR reform on its hedge accounting.
The Group has elected to early adopt amendments to IFRS 9, and IFRS 7
'Interest Rate Benchmark Reform' issued in September 2019. In accordance with
the transition provisions, the amendments have been adopted retrospectively to
hedging relationships that existed at the start of the reporting period or
were designated thereafter. The amendments provide temporary relief from
applying specific hedge accounting requirements to hedging relationships
directly affected by IBOR reform. The adoption of these amendments has not had
a material impact on these financial statements.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
2. Segment information
The primary segments for management and reporting are geographies (North
America, Core and Growth). In addition, the Group separately discloses the
results from the Penguin Random House associate (PRH).
all figures in £ millions 2019 2018
Sales by geography
North America 2,534 2,784
Core 838 806
Growth 497 539
Total sales 3,869 4,129
Adjusted operating profit by geography
North America 361 362
Core 92 57
Growth 63 59
PRH 65 68
Total adjusted operating profit 581 546
There were no material inter-segment sales. The Group derived revenue from the
transfer of goods and services over time and at a point in time in the
following major product lines:
all figures in £ millions North Core Growth Total
America
2019
Courseware
Products transferred at a point in time (sale or return) 448 291 178 917
Products transferred at a point in time (other) - - 37 37
Products and services transferred over time 627 15 54 696
1,075 306 269 1,650
Assessments
Products transferred at a point in time 113 55 6 174
Products and services transferred over time 761 429 100 1,290
874 484 106 1,464
Services
Products transferred at a point in time - 26 - 26
Products and services transferred over time 585 22 122 729
585 48 122 755
Total sales 2,534 838 497 3,869
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
2. Segment information continued
all figures in £ millions North Core Growth Total
America
2018
Courseware
Products transferred at a point in time (sale or return) 718 313 197 1,228
Products transferred at a point in time (other) - - 35 35
Products and services transferred over time 718 4 54 776
1,436 317 286 2,039
Assessments*
Products transferred at a point in time 106 52 - 158
Products and services transferred over time 710 390 87 1,187
816 442 87 1,345
Services
Products transferred at a point in time - 26 38 64
Products and services transferred over time 532 21 128 681
532 47 166 745
Total sales 2,784 806 539 4,129
* The analysis of Assessment revenues for 2018 has been re-presented to better
reflect the nature of sales.
Adjusted operating profit is one of the Group's key business performance
measures. The measure includes the operating profit from the total business
including the results of discontinued operations when relevant and excludes
intangible charges for amortisation and impairment, acquisition related costs,
gains and losses arising from acquisitions and disposals and the cost of major
restructuring. In 2018, the Group also excluded the impact of adjustments
arising from clarification of guaranteed minimum pension (GMP) equalisation
legislation in the UK.
In May 2017, the Group announced a restructuring programme, to run between
2017 and 2019, to drive further significant cost savings. This programme began
in the second half of 2017 and costs incurred to date relate to delivery of
cost efficiencies in the US higher education courseware business and enabling
functions together with further rationalisation of the property and supplier
portfolio. The restructuring costs in 2019 of £159m mainly relate to staff
redundancies whilst the restructuring costs in 2018 relate predominantly to
staff redundancies and the net cost of property rationalisation including the
net impact of the consolidation of the Group's property footprint in London.
Charges relating to acquired intangibles, acquisition costs and movements in
contingent acquisition and disposal consideration are also excluded from
adjusted operating profit when relevant as these items reflect past
acquisition activity and do not necessarily reflect the current year
performance of the Group. Intangible amortisation charges in 2019 were £163m,
including an impairment charge of £65m relating to acquired intangibles in
Brazil, compared to a charge of £113m in 2018.
Other net gains of £16m in 2019 mainly relate to the sale of the K12 school
courseware business in the US. Other net gains of £230m in 2018 relate to the
sale of the Wall Street English language teaching business (£207m) and the
disposal of the Group's associate interest in UTEL, the online University
partnership in Mexico (£19m), together with other small net gains totalling
£4m.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
2. Segment information continued
The GMP equalisation charge in 2018 arose from the ruling in the Lloyds Bank
High Court case in October 2018 that provided clarity on how pension plans
should equalise GMP between males and females. The case ruling resulted in an
income statement charge, an additional liability and the potential requirement
to make back payments to pensioners who may have been retired for some years.
The Group excluded this charge from adjusted operating profit as it related to
historic circumstances.
The following table reconciles adjusted operating profit to operating profit
for each of our primary segments.
all figures in £ millions North America Core Growth PRH Total
2019
Adjusted operating profit 361 92 63 65 581
Cost of major restructuring (110) (28) (19) (2) (159)
Intangible charges (62) (7) (82) (12) (163)
Other net gains and losses 13 8 (5) - 16
UK pension GMP equalisation - - - - -
Operating profit 202 65 (43) 51 275
2018
Adjusted operating profit 362 57 59 68 546
Cost of major restructuring (78) (16) - (8) (102)
Intangible charges (72) (8) (19) (14) (113)
Other net gains and losses 4 - 226 - 230
UK pension GMP equalisation - (8) - - (8)
Operating profit 216 25 266 46 553
Corporate costs are allocated to business segments on an appropriate basis
depending on the nature of the cost and therefore the total segment result is
equal to the Group operating profit.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
3. Net finance costs
all figures in £ millions 2019 2018
Net interest payable (41) (24)
Net finance income in respect of retirement benefits 13 11
Finance costs associated with transactions - (1)
Net foreign exchange losses (5) (36)
Derivatives in a hedge relationship - (4)
Derivatives not in a hedge relationship (10) (1)
Net finance costs (43) (55)
Analysed as:
Finance costs (84) (91)
Finance income 41 36
Net finance costs (43) (55)
Analysed as:
Net interest payable reflected in adjusted earnings (41) (24)
Other net finance costs (2) (31)
Net finance costs (43) (55)
Net interest payable is the finance cost measure used in calculating adjusted
earnings.
Net finance costs classified as other net finance costs are excluded in the
calculation of the Group's adjusted earnings.
Net finance income relating to retirement benefits is excluded as it is
considered that the presentation does not reflect the economic substance of
the underlying assets and liabilities. The Group excludes finance costs
relating to acquisition and disposal transactions as these relate to future
earn-outs or acquisition expenses and are not part of the underlying
financing.
Foreign exchange and other gains and losses are also excluded as they
represent short-term fluctuations in market value and are subject to
significant volatility. Other gains and losses may not be realised in due
course as it is normally the intention to hold the related instruments to
maturity. In 2019 and 2018, the foreign exchange gains and losses largely
relate to foreign exchange differences on unhedged US dollar and Euro loans
and cash and cash equivalents.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
4. Profit before tax
all figures in £ millions note 2019 2018
Profit before tax 232 498
Cost of major restructuring 2 159 102
Other net gains and losses 2 (16) (230)
Intangible charges 2 163 113
Other net finance costs 3 2 31
UK pension GMP equalisation 2 - 8
Adjusted profit before tax 540 522
5. Income tax
all figures in £ millions 2019 2018
Income tax benefit 34 92
Tax benefit on cost of major restructuring (35) (37)
Tax benefit on other net gains and losses (68) (31)
Tax benefit on intangible charges (48) (18)
Tax benefit on other net finance costs - (6)
Tax benefit on UK pension GMP equalisation - (2)
Tax amortisation benefit on goodwill and intangibles 28 29
Adjusted income tax (charge) / benefit (89) 27
Tax rate reflected in statutory earnings (14.7)% (18.5)%
Tax rate reflected in adjusted earnings 16.5 % (5.2)%
The adjusted income tax charge excludes the tax benefit or charge on items
that are excluded from the profit or loss before tax (see note 4).
The tax benefit from tax deductible goodwill and intangibles is added to the
adjusted income tax charge as this benefit more accurately aligns the adjusted
tax charge with the expected rate of cash tax payments.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
6. Earnings per share
Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing the profit or loss
attributable to equity shareholders of the company (earnings) by the weighted
average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year, excluding ordinary
shares purchased by the company and held as treasury shares. Diluted earnings
per share is calculated by adjusting the weighted average number of ordinary
shares to take account of all dilutive potential ordinary shares and adjusting
the profit attributable, if applicable, to account for any tax consequences
that might arise from conversion of those shares. A dilution is not calculated
for a loss.
all figures in £ millions 2019 2018
Earnings for the year 266 590
Non-controlling interest (2) (2)
Earnings attributable to equity shareholders 264 588
Weighted average number of shares (millions) 777.0 778.1
Effect of dilutive share options (millions) 0.5 0.6
Weighted average number of shares (millions) for diluted earnings 777.5 778.7
Earnings per share
Basic 34.0p 75.6p
Diluted 34.0p 75.5p
7. Adjusted earnings per share
In order to show results from operating activities on a consistent basis, an
adjusted earnings per share is presented which excludes certain items as set
out below.
Adjusted earnings is a non-GAAP financial measure and is included as it is a
key financial measure used by management to evaluate performance and allocate
resources to business segments. The measure also enables our investors to more
easily, and consistently, track the underlying operational performance of the
Group and its business segments over time by separating out those items of
income and expenditure relating to acquisition and disposal transactions,
major restructuring programmes and certain other items that are also not
representative of underlying performance (see notes 2, 3, 4 and 5 for further
information and reconciliation to equivalent statutory measures).
The adjusted earnings per share includes both continuing and discontinued
businesses on an undiluted basis when relevant. The company's definition of
adjusted earnings per share may not be comparable to other similarly titled
measures reported by other companies. A reconciliation of the adjusted
measures to their corresponding statutory measures is shown in the tables
below and in notes 2, 3, 4 and 5.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
7. Adjusted earnings per share continued
all figures in £ millions note Statutory income statement Cost of major restructuring Other net gains and losses Intangible charges Other net finance costs Impact of GMP equalisation Tax amortisation benefit Adjusted income statement
2019
Operating profit 2 275 159 (16) 163 - - - 581
Net finance costs 3 (43) - - - 2 - - (41)
Profit before tax 4 232 159 (16) 163 2 - - 540
Income tax 5 34 (35) (68) (48) - - 28 (89)
Profit for the year 266 124 (84) 115 2 - 28 451
Non-controlling interest (2) - - - - - - (2)
Earnings 264 124 (84) 115 2 - 28 449
Weighted average number of shares (millions) 777.0
Weighted average number of shares (millions) for diluted earnings 777.5
Adjusted earnings per share (basic) 57.8p
Adjusted earnings per share (diluted) 57.7p
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
7. Adjusted earnings per share continued
all figures in £ millions note Statutory income statement Cost of major restructuring Other net gains and losses Intangible charges Other net finance costs Impact of GMP equalisation Tax amortisation benefit Adjusted income statement
2018
Operating profit 2 553 102 (230) 113 - 8 - 546
Net finance costs 3 (55) - - - 31 - - (24)
Profit before tax 4 498 102 (230) 113 31 8 - 522
Income tax 5 92 (37) (31) (18) (6) (2) 29 27
Profit for the year 590 65 (261) 95 25 6 29 549
Non-controlling interest (2) - - - - - - (2)
Earnings 588 65 (261) 95 25 6 29 547
Weighted average number of shares (millions) 778.1
Weighted average number of shares (millions) for diluted earnings 778.7
Adjusted earnings per share (basic) 70.3p
Adjusted earnings per share (diluted) 70.2p
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
8. Dividends
all figures in £ millions 2019 2018
Amounts recognised as distributions to equity shareholders in the year 147 136
The directors are proposing a final dividend of 13.5p per equity share,
payable on 7 May 2020 to shareholders on the register at the close of business
on 27 March 2020. This final dividend, which will absorb an estimated £106m
of shareholders' funds, has not been included as a liability as at 31 December
2019.
9. Exchange rates
Pearson earns a significant proportion of its sales and profits in overseas
currencies, the most important being the US dollar. The relevant rates are
as follows:
2019 2018
Average rate for profits 1.28 1.34
Year end rate 1.32 1.27
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
10. Assets and liabilities classified as held for sale
The held for sale asset in 2019 is the 25% holding in PRH following
announcement of the sale in December 2019. Held for sale assets and
liabilities in 2018 relate to the K12 school courseware business in the US
(K12) prior to its disposal in 2019. The held for sale balances are analysed
as follows:
all figures in £ millions 2019 2018
Intangible assets - 168
Investments in joint ventures and associates 397 -
Deferred income tax assets - 98
Trade and other receivables - 25
Non-current assets 397 291
Intangible assets - pre-publication - 242
Inventories - 55
Trade and other receivables - 60
Current assets - 357
Total assets 397 648
Other liabilities - (371)
Non-current liabilities - (371)
Trade and other liabilities - (202)
Current liabilities - (202)
Total liabilities - (573)
Net assets 397 75
Goodwill is allocated to the held for sale businesses on a relative fair value
basis where these businesses form part of a larger cash generating unit (CGU).
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
11. Non-current intangible assets
all figures in £ millions 2019 2018
Goodwill 2,139 2,111
Other intangibles 761 898
Non-current intangible assets 2,900 3,009
Following the annual impairment review for 2019, a £65m impairment charge
relating to acquired intangibles in the Brazil business was made following a
reassessment of the relative risk in that market. As noted in previous years,
and following impairments to goodwill and other intangibles in 2014, 2015 and
2016, the Group's businesses in the North America and Core segments as well as
the Brazil business remain sensitive to a reasonably possible change in the
assumptions which would give rise to further impairment.
12. Trade and other liabilities
all figures in £ millions 2019 2018
Trade payables (358) (311)
Sales return liability (122) (173)
Accruals (295) (397)
Deferred income (360) (387)
Other liabilities (229) (287)
Trade and other liabilities (1,364) (1,555)
Analysed as:
Trade and other liabilities - current (1,278) (1,400)
Other liabilities - non-current (86) (155)
Total trade and other liabilities (1,364) (1,555)
The deferred income balance comprises contract liabilities in respect of
advance payments in assessment, testing and training businesses; subscription
income in school and college businesses; and obligations to deliver digital
content in future years.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
13. Business combinations
During the year the Group made some small acquisitions for total consideration
of £40m. Details of the assets acquired, and the associated consideration are
shown in the table below. The net cash outflow on acquisition of subsidiaries
also includes £5m relating to deferred payments on prior year acquisitions.
all figures in £ millions 2019
Intangible assets 23
Trade and other receivables 1
Trade and other liabilities (2)
Net assets acquired 22
Goodwill 18
Total 40
Satisfied by:
Cash 40
Total consideration 40
The net cash outflow relating to acquisitions in the year is shown in the
table below:
all figures in £ millions 2019
Cash - current year acquisitions (40)
Deferred payments for prior year acquisitions (5)
Net cash outflow on acquisitions (45)
During 2019, the Group's associate, Penguin Random House raised additional
capital from its owners in proportion to their equity interests with the
Group's share being £40m.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
14. Disposals
In March 2019, the Group completed the sale of its US K12 business (K12)
resulting in a pre-tax profit on sale of £13m. Total gross proceeds were
£200m including £180m of deferred proceeds which include the fair value of
an unconditional vendor note for $225m and an entitlement to 20% of future
cash flows to equity holders and 20% of net proceeds in the event of a
subsequent sale (see also note 16 for further details). Tax on the disposal is
a benefit of £51m. Other disposal items relate to investment sales and
adjustments to prior year transactions. An analysis of disposals is shown
below.
all figures in £ millions K12 Other Total
Intangible assets (101) - (101)
Intangible assets - pre-publication (238) - (238)
Inventories (64) - (64)
Trade and other receivables (70) - (70)
Cash and cash equivalents (excluding overdrafts) (104) - (104)
Net deferred income tax liabilities (100) - (100)
Trade and other liabilities 520 - 520
Cumulative translation adjustment (4) - (4)
Net assets disposed (161) - (161)
Cash proceeds 20 - 20
Deferred proceeds 180 - 180
Costs of disposal (26) 3 (23)
Gain on disposal 13 3 16
Cash flow from disposals
Proceeds - current year disposals 20
Cash and cash equivalents disposed (104)
Costs and other disposal liabilities paid (17)
Net cash outflow from disposals (101)
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
15. Net debt
all figures in £ millions 2019 2018
Non-current assets
Derivative financial instruments 29 67
Trade and other receivables - investment in finance lease 171 -
Current assets
Derivative financial instruments 25 1
Trade and other receivables - investment in finance lease 25 -
Cash and cash equivalents (excluding overdrafts) 437 568
Non-current liabilities
Borrowings (1,572) (674)
Derivative financial instruments (24) (36)
Current liabilities
Borrowings (92) (46)
Derivative financial instruments (15) (23)
Net debt (1,016) (143)
Included within borrowings at 31 December 2019 is £838m (non-current £749m,
current £89m) relating to lease liabilities that were brought on balance
sheet at 1 January 2019 following the transition to IFRS 16. Also, under IFRS
16, the Group has recognised investments in finance leases in relation to some
of its sub-let properties as separately disclosed above (see also note 1b).
After excluding lease liabilities (including those previously recognised as
finance leases) and the investment in finance leases, the Group's net debt was
£374m.
In March 2019, the Group executed market tenders to repurchase €55m of its
€500m 1.875% notes due 2021 of which €250m were outstanding at 31 December
2018. In addition, the Group also announced the refinancing of its bank
facility, reducing its size to $1.19bn and extending its maturity date to
February 2024.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
16. Classification of assets and liabilities measured at fair value
Level 2 ---Level 3--- Total fair value
all figures in £ millions Derivatives FVOCI FVTPL - Other
investments receivables
2019
Investments in unlisted securities - 122 - 122
Other receivables - - 182 182
Derivative financial instruments 54 - - 54
Total financial assets held at fair value 54 122 182 358
Derivative financial instruments (39) - - (39)
Total financial liabilities held at fair value (39) - - (39)
2018
Investments in unlisted securities - 93 - 93
Other receivables - - - -
Derivative financial instruments 68 - - 68
Total financial assets held at fair value 68 93 - 161
Derivative financial instruments (59) - - (59)
Total financial liabilities held at fair value (59) - - (59)
FVTPL - Other receivables relate to amounts due following the sale of the K12
business comprising an unconditional vendor note for $225m (repayable after 7
years or earlier based on the performance of the K12 business) and an
entitlement to 20% of future cash flows to equity holders and 20% of net
proceeds in the event of a subsequent sale within the next 15 years.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
16. Classification of assets and liabilities measured at fair value
continued
The fair values of level 2 assets and liabilities are determined by reference
to market data and established estimation techniques such as discounted cash
flow and option valuation models.
Within level 3 assets, the fair value of FVOCI investments is determined by
reference to the financial performance of the underlying asset and amounts
realised on the sale of similar assets.
The fair value of FVTPL - Other receivables is determined using present value
techniques whereby the expected value of future cash flows is discounted using
a rate which is representative of the creditworthiness of the K12 business.
The key inputs used in the present value calculations are forecast sales,
discount rate and the expected date of a subsequent sale of the K12 business.
If the forecast sales used in the calculations were increased / decreased by
5%, the value of the receivable would increase / decrease by approximately
£20m. If the discount rate used in the calculations was increased / decreased
by 1%, the value of the receivable would decrease / increase by approximately
£5m. The calculations are not materially sensitive to reasonable changes in
the expected date of a subsequent sale of the K12 business.
There have been no transfers in classification during the year.
The market value of the Group's bonds is £595m (2018: £661m) compared to
their carrying value of £593m (2018: £672m). For all other financial assets
and liabilities, fair value is not materially different to carrying value.
Movements in fair values of level 3 assets and liabilities for investments in
unlisted securities are shown in the table below:
all figures in £ millions 2019 2018
Investments in unlisted securities
At beginning of year 93 77
Exchange differences - OCI (3) 3
Additions 12 13
Fair value movements - OCI 20 8
Disposals - (8)
At end of year 122 93
Since inception, the only movements in FVTPL - Other receivables relate to
foreign exchange movements which arise on consolidation.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
17. Cash flows
all figures in £ millions 2019 2018
Reconciliation of profit for the year to net cash generated from operations
Profit for the year 266 590
Income tax (34) (92)
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment charges 389 253
Net profit on disposal of businesses (16) (230)
Charges relating to GMP equalisation - 8
Net loss / (profit) on disposal of fixed assets 7 (85)
Net profit on disposal of right of use assets held under leases (4) -
Net finance costs 43 55
Share of results of joint ventures and associates (54) (44)
Net foreign exchange adjustment (21) 28
Investment income (2) -
Share-based payment costs 25 37
Pre-publication (55) (37)
Inventories (20) (10)
Trade and other receivables 59 (15)
Trade and other liabilities (157) 35
Retirement benefit obligations 5 (9)
Provisions for other liabilities and charges 49 63
Net cash generated from operations 480 547
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
17. Cash flows continued
all figures in £ millions note 2019 2018
Reconciliation of net cash generated from operations to closing net debt
Net cash generated from operations 480 547
Dividends from joint ventures and associates 64 117
Less: re-capitalisation dividends from PRH - (50)
Purchase of PPE (55) (74)
Acquisition of new right-of-use lease assets (64) -
Proceeds from sale of PPE 1 128
Disposal of right-of-use lease assets 17 -
Purchase of intangible assets (138) (130)
Investment income 2 -
Add back: net costs paid for / (proceeds from) major restructuring 111 (25)
Operating cash flow 418 513
Operating tax paid (9) (43)
Net operating finance costs paid (64) (22)
Operating free cash flow 345 448
Non-operating tax paid (21) -
Net (cost paid for) / proceeds from major restructuring (111) 25
Free cash flow 213 473
Dividends paid (including to non-controlling interest) (148) (137)
Net movement of funds from operations 65 336
Acquisitions and disposals (193) 92
Re-capitalisation dividends from PRH - 50
Loans (advanced) / repaid (49) 46
New equity 7 6
Buyback of equity - (153)
Purchase of treasury shares (52) -
Other movements on financial instruments (9) (6)
Net movement of funds (231) 371
Exchange movements on net debt 24 (82)
Movement in net debt (207) 289
Opening net debt (143) (432)
Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 16 (666) -
Closing net debt 15 (1,016) (143)
Operating cash flow and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures and have been
disclosed as they are part of the Group's corporate and operating measures.
These measures are presented in order to align the cash flows with
corresponding adjusted profit measures.
Following transition to IFRS 16, the Group has included the new lease
liabilities and investment in finance lease as part of its net debt. As a
result, the Group's operating cash flow (and free cash flow) now includes the
acquisition and modification of new right-of-use lease assets and the disposal
of right-of-use lease assets as these transactions result in a movement in
overall net debt (see also note 1b).
Re-capitalisation dividends from PRH in 2018 were part of the transaction that
included the sale of 22% of the Group's equity interest in the venture in
2017.
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2019
18. Contingencies
There are contingent Group liabilities that arise in the normal course of
business in respect of indemnities, warranties and guarantees in relation to
former subsidiaries and in respect of guarantees in relation to subsidiaries,
joint ventures and associates. In addition, there are contingent liabilities
of the Group in respect of unsettled or disputed tax liabilities, legal
claims, contract disputes, royalties, copyright fees, permissions and other
rights. None of these claims are expected to result in a material gain or loss
to the Group.
On 25 April 2019, the European Commission published the full decision that the
United Kingdom controlled foreign company group financing partial exemption
("FCPE") partially constitutes State Aid. The Group has lodged an appeal.
The Group has benefited from the FCPE in 2018 and prior years by approximately
£116m. At present, the Group believes no provision is required in respect of
this issue.
During 2019 the Group received an assessment from the tax authorities in
Brazil challenging the deduction for tax purposes of goodwill amortisation for
the years 2013 to 2016. Similar assessments may be raised for other years.
Potential total exposure could be up to £124m (BRL 656m) up to 31
December 2019, with additional exposure of £45m (BRL 239m) in relation to
deductions expected to be taken in future periods. Such assessments are
common in Brazil. The Group believes that the likelihood that the tax
authorities will ultimately prevail is low, and that the Group's position is
strong. At present the Group believes no provision is required.
19. Related parties
At 31 December 2019, the Group had loans to Penguin Random House (PRH) of
£49m (2018: £nil) which were unsecured with interest calculated based on
market rates. The loans are provided under a working capital facility and
fluctuate during the year.
At 31 December 2019, the Group also had a current asset receivable from PRH of
£16m (2018: £17m) mainly arising from PRH's management of accounts
receivable balances on Pearson's behalf. Service fee income from PRH was £4m
in 2019 (2018: £3m).
During the year, the Group received dividends of £64m (2018: £117m) from
PRH. In 2018, dividends from PRH included amounts relating to the
re-capitalisation of the venture following the Group's disposal of part of its
share in 2017.
Apart from transactions with the Group's associates and joint ventures noted
above, there were no other material related party transactions and no
guarantees have been provided to related parties in the year.
20. Events after the balance sheet date
In January 2020, the Group commenced a £350m share buyback programme in
connection with the announcement in December 2019 of the sale of its remaining
25% interest in PRH.
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